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Thursday, September 10, 2015

Kobe Bryant: Perception Versus Reality

This article was originally published on February 25, 2005 at
HoopsHype.com but the link no longer works, so I have reprinted the
article in its entirety below.

Kobe Bryant (27.8 ppg, 6.6 apg and 6.2 rpg), LeBron James (25.4 ppg, 7.7 apg and 7.1 rpg) and Dwyane Wade
(23.5 ppg, 7.3 apg and 5.2 rpg) are three of the top perimeter players
in the NBA. Each ranks in the top ten in scoring and is a nightly
triple-double threat, yet James and Wade are lauded for making their
teammates better while Bryant has been widely labeled as selfish. Among
those who consider that criticism unfair is veteran NBA player,
assistant coach and head coach Fred Carter, who currently analyzes games for NBA TV.

"For
some people perception is reality," Carter said. "The echoed word
becomes the accepted word. It becomes the choice phrase. But he won
titles and he does get the assists. He does get steals and he does get
blocks. He's not a guy who just plays on the offensive end. What happens
is that people have the tendency to echo the words of everyone else.
It's unfortunate."

Bryant's
field goal percentage is hovering around the .410 mark, which would be a
career low. This is the main statistical ax that critics grind against
Bryant, saying that he is more focused on winning the scoring title than
making his team better. But that argument has flaws, according to Carter. "Any time a guy is a volume-shooting guy like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson,
the shooting percentage is going to be down because they attract a lot
more defensive attention. Spot-up shooters or stand-still shooters,
plays are run for them and that's basically all they can do, spot up and
shoot, so they get open shots and knock them down. People kind of get
confused with field goal percentages and the quality of the baskets that
you make. Kobe makes a lot of quality baskets. I don't look at his
field goal percentage. I look at the productivity of his shots in terms
of the fourth quarter and what shots he makes then."

Bob Chaikin, whose fine statistical research can be found at bballsports.com,
ranks shooting efficiency with a statistic called scoring field goal
percentage. The formula is: (Two point field goals made + 1.5 X Three
point field goals made + Free throws made/2) / (Field goals attempted +
Free throws attempted/2). This
method provides a more complete picture than field goal percentage does
because it accounts for the added value of three-pointers made plus the
points produced by drawing fouls and making free throws.

James
(.491) and Wade (.478) have better field goal percentages than Bryant
does, but neither makes as many three-pointers or free throws as Bryant.
Consequently, as of February 22, Bryant's scoring field goal percentage
of .529 is not much worse than James' .551 and Wade's .544.

The league average for scoring field goal percentage is around .520, a figure that Bryant and each of the Laker
starters exceed. Bryant is not merely padding his individual scoring
numbers. The defensive attention that he attracts and his playmaking
skills are leading the team to an above average level of shooting
efficiency. This is significant, especially considering that the other
four starters are Chucky Atkins, Chris Mihm, Lamar Odom and Caron Butler,
none of whom has played in even one All-Star Game. Meanwhile, James and
Wade are each teamed with All-Star centers. Laker center Mihm, a career
journeyman, has benefited greatly playing alongside Bryant, enjoying
career highs in scoring, rebounding and assists. In addition to their
above average scoring field goal percentages, each Laker starter (other
than Bryant) is also posting a career high in traditional field goal
percentage.
NBA
analyst Fred Carter notes that by getting to the free throw line
frequently Bryant does not just enhance his individual statistics, but
he also creates more free throw opportunities for his teammates and
causes foul trouble for the opposing team.

"When
Kobe is out of the offense the Lakers do not get into the bonus as
quickly as they normally do. Check free throws attempted and see how
they were with Kobe playing versus now (when Kobe missed 14 games)."

Another
area worth examining is versatility. One would expect that a selfish
player does nothing but shoot. Nine NBA players have amassed triple
doubles this season. Bryant and Chris Webber are tied for second with four, trailing only Jason Kidd's five. James has two and Wade has one. James has 18 double doubles, while Wade has 13 and Bryant 12.

Bryant's
critics are quick to counter that he leads the league in turnovers at
4.4 per game, but Wade ranks second at 4.2 and James is seventh at 3.2.
MVP candidate and league assists leader Steve Nash ranks
eighth at 3.1. Turnovers have only been recorded by the NBA since
1977-78, but since that time it has been common for great playmakers
such as Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas to
rank among the league leaders in this category. Players who commit a
lot of turnovers generally fall into one of two categories: great
players who have tremendous scoring/playmaking responsibilities and big
men with bad hands.

Ultimately,
making one's team better is reflected in wins and losses and most NBA
games are decided down the stretch. While great players strive to keep
their teammates involved throughout the game, in the closing moments it
is often necessary to take over the game. Tracy McGrady's 13 points in the final 35 seconds to defeat the San Antonio Spurs earlier this season are perhaps the ultimate recent example of this.

Bryant
consistently elevates his game in clutch situations and this year he is
leading the NBA in fourth quarter scoring at over 8.5 ppg. Carter says
that Bryant has two traits that enable him to thrive in crucial moments. "One
is competitiveness. He stays at a high level of competitiveness. Also,
energy level. A lot of players get tired (but) the great players don't
get tired. They have a special level of energy; they can tap that source
and they can still stay at a high level of efficiency and proficiency.
That's Kobe Bryant; he is able to do that. MJ
was the same way. There are certain players who can raise their energy
level for the fourth period and Kobe Bryant can do that."

Of
course, offense is only part of the game. Second-year players James and
Wade have each made notable progress this season on the defensive end,
but Bryant has already made the All-Defensive Team five times during his
career, including three First Team selections. Bryant made the All-NBA
First Team and the All-Defensive First Team each of the last two
seasons.

When
Bryant missed 14 games due to a severe right ankle sprain, the Lakers
struggled to a 6-8 mark and his absence was felt at least as much on
defense as on offense, Laker coach Frank Hamblen points out: "He is one
of those guys who is talking defensively and helping defensively. The
way he plays, as hard as he plays, the other guys feed off that."

TNT analyst Charles Barkley has mentioned on several occasions that he believes there are only three true superstars in the NBA: Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. A glance at the Western Conference standings shows that Garnett's Timberwolves
and Bryant's Lakers are among the teams fighting for the final playoff
spot. Garnett has two former All-Stars playing beside him and basically
the same nucleus that made it to the Western Conference Finals last
year, while Bryant's Lakers have been almost completely reconstituted.
Postseason success is the best way to silence critics. If Kobe Bryant
stays healthy for the remainder of the season, he will have a great
opportunity to refute not only those who question his ability to make
his teammates better but also Barkley and anyone else who denies that he
is a true superstar.

1 Comments:

I was reading basketball-reference.com for something unrelated, and had a look at their ELO ratings. I was surprised, and not surprised to see Kobe Bryant ranked at 300 behind many, many objectively inferior players.

With regard to "hate," which Kobe has certainly suffered from, I'd be interested to read an article on other players who were "hated" in history. Has perception of their careers changed with time? Just an idea for a future article.

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"A work of art contains its verification in itself: artificial, strained concepts do not withstand the test of being turned into images; they fall to pieces, turn out to be sickly and pale, convince no one. Works which draw on truth and present it to us in live and concentrated form grip us, compellingly involve us, and no one ever, not even ages hence, will come forth to refute them."--Alexander Solzhenitsyn (Nobel Lecture)

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"It's not nuclear physics. You always remember that. But if you write about sports long enough, you're constantly coming back to the point that something buoys people; something makes you feel better for having been there. Something of value is at work there...Something is hallowed here. I think that something is excellence."--Tom Callahan